Repeatedly Redundant
by LifelineOver
Summary: There were people screaming about giant robots and war. I should have listened and ran with them, going with the flow as I always have. But I didn't. Turns out though, that it was not the right time to make half-assed declarations of courage and bravery when war was part of the deal. I did regret my decision though. Who wouldn't, when you got killed because of it? /OCs included/
1. Act 0 - Prologue

**Hey everyone! Welcome to Repeatedly Redundant!**

**Thanks for taking the time to read my first fic and I hope it earns your approval! I'll warn you now, I'm a newbie at this so please don't overly criticize it! No flames too, thank you!**

**And without further ado, once more, I present to you Repeatedly Redundant!**

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. I only own my OC!_

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**_"I was a sidelines child: never class president, never team captain, never the one with the most valentines in my box."_**

**_-Lois Lowry_**

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_"Hi, my name is Sera Jane Rumil. I'm eighteen years old, lives on my own, and has had the time of my life. I was just working at the coffee shop as a waitress when all these chaos occurs. I go out and see people running, yelling about giant robots. I didn't understand, so I turned, running through the chaos. Gunfire and debris falling from everywhere, now I regret what my curiosity made me do. I turned and look up, seeing the sight of my lifetime, and the last thing I see is that giant metal foot descending on me, then everything was dark."_

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Act 0 - Prologue

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Since I was a kid, I never liked attention. I would get nervous and the feeling of butterflies in my stomach would grow, making me feel immensely uncomfortable. My hands would feel cold and clammy, I might even start having difficulty breathing if I was under the spotlight for a long time. Because of these, I often stayed with the crowd, where the most people are, watching with them, staying at the sidelines.

So, if I was like that, it would make sense not to choose a job that draws attention to oneself. I had no idea what job there is that didn't require much social interaction since I was also a very awkward girl, and often failed at interviews. I was an introvert, a very shy one. The best job I could have had that paid high enough was at the coffee shop owned by my parents' friend. They'd (my parents) asked the job for me, so I became a waitress there. Thanks to that job where social interaction was much needed, I got over some of my fear. At least now I wouldn't always be a nervous wreck.

Eventually, life settled into a routine. After my parents left me for their work overseas, I learned to take care of myself, learning everything I had to know to keep myself properly fed and well cared for. The house, or mansion was more like it, that my parents left me was sold and half of the money was given to charity, the rest I kept for myself. I rented an apartment near my work and made a few friends.

The peace, or what I considered peace since Mission City is really a bit crowded, was shattered when chaos started from the arrival of a group of soldiers in tanks and military jeeps accompanied by expensive-looking cars.

I didn't know exactly what had happened, only that there were people screaming about giant robots and war. I should have listened and ran with them, going with the flow as I always have. But I didn't. Only because I wanted to be strong and to stop just being a sidelines-girl. Turns out though, that it was not the right time to make half-assed declarations of courage and bravery when war was part of the deal.

Although I did regret my decisions though. After all, who wouldn't regret that sort of stupid action when you died because of it?

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Act 0 - Prologue - End

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**So..ummm, how was it? Was it good, bad, horrible? Please tell me your thoughts on it!**


	2. Act 1 Part 1 - Death

**Hi everyone! This is chapter 1 of Repeatedly Redundant, brought to you by LifelineOver~**

**Right, anyway, thanks for the faves and follows, I really love it when someone DOES like my story~**

**Let's proceed on now, since I don't really have anything else to say.**

**Oh, oh, except for the slight blood and gore mentioned below. Yes, I'm warning you now. I won't put a lot of gory scenes since this is Rated T, but this is kind of like a one-time thing. **

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. I only own my OC!_

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_**"Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome."**_

_**-Isaac Asimov**_

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_"Hi, my name is Sera Jane Rumil. I'm eighteen years old, lives on my own, and has had the time of my life. I was just working at the coffee shop as a waitress when all these chaos occurs. I go out and see people running, yelling about giant robots. I didn't understand, so I turned, running through the chaos. Gunfire and debris falling from everywhere, now I regret what my curiosity made me do. I turned and look up, seeing the sight of my lifetime, and the last thing I see is that giant metal foot descending on me, then everything was dark."_

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Act 1 - Part 1 - Death

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The noise in the cafe was at a normal volume, compared to the noise in the morning rush.

It was mid-afternoon and there were just a few customers in the booths. They were all mostly quiet except for the group of teens laughing and talking (nearly shouting if I might add) while sipping their vanilla lattes. They were always here on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, ordering the same vanilla lattes. In my head, I had dubbed them as the Vanilla Teens.

Today, there was a bit more customers than usual. I looked outside, eyeing the sunlight and the sweaty people walking outside with umbrellas and those wearing revealing outfits. I sighed, thankful for the air conditioner in our simple little cafe.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

I looked at Marla who was tying on the apron of her uniform, head tilted slightly forward as she tied the ribbon. I put my arms on the counter and placed my right foot behind my left one, absentmindedly tapping it on the tiled floor. "Nothing much is going on around my head. Just thankful for the air conditioner."

She laughed softly. "You got that right."

She said nothing more for a while as she tied her reddish brown hair into a high bun, poking a hairstick with dangling amber beads at the end, through it.

"So," she started, "Have you heard about that attack in Qatar? Was it terrorists?"

I glanced at her but then turned my sights back to the woman outside who was putting on make-up. She was sitting provocatively at our booth outside, eyeing herself critically at her mirror. Something black fell onto my right eye but then I flipped my bangs back, letting me watch everything with no obstructions at all. "_She has too much make-up on."_

"I think so." I answered after a while, remembering that she asked a question directed at me. "Never really cared much for the news."

She hummed. "You should. You live on your own after all." I blinked and glanced at her again. She had her arms crossed now. "_Maybe. I'm just lazy, anyway."_

There was silence between us again and I stopped leaning on my arms on the counter, straightening my back and popping a few bones along the way. "_Oh that felt good." _Marla was still there at my right, face blank as she watched the same woman I was watching pucker her lips and flip her hair over her shoulder as she started walking away._  
_

Marla sighed and just walked away, saying nothing else to me. I stood properly, feeling like a madam with my ramrod straight back and chin slightly up. "_Now all I need is a beehive hair and a corset then I'm good to go."_

"I mean, like, seriously, she just went up to me and started waving this flyer around at my face." I eyed the dark-haired teen from the group I had dubbed as the 'Vanilla Teens'. He was making excessive hand gestures as if to emphasize his point. "She was so insistent so I just went," then he made a flippant gesture, "but she won't understand and kept on waving around that stupid flyer in my face." He scoffed. "She might as well have started screaming those overly scripted lines in my face, but thank God she didn't."

The blonde girl beside him who was twirling her ballpen with two fingers giggled, taking a sip of her latte before speaking. "I'm guessing Sheila didn't appreciate the girl?"

"Oh yeah." the guy nodded halfheartedly, leaning back on the plush chair and running a hand through his hair, "She didn't. Her face was all red and she actually looked ready to kill."

I stopped watching when I saw a man running through the crowd outside, screaming.

"What the hell?" blondie from the Vanilla Teens commented, watching the man run past the cafe. "Is there some sort of riot that we missed?"

Other people were looking too, now looking surprised as more people came, running past our cafe. I watched everything with keen eyes, noticing the disarray the crowd was getting in. I walked out from behind the counter and muted our jukebox. I jumped, along with the others when I heard an explosion. _"And did I hear gunshots?"_

"Dude, was that an explosion?" said a brunette from the Vanilla Teens, looking outside at the chaos beginning to form. I steeled my nerves and began walking to the doors, some of the customers and some of the staff looking at me. Marla ran, catching up and staying behind me. I pulled open the doors, the little bell jingling as me and Marla stepped out.

Outside it was a myriad of voices, noises and car horns honking continuously. I winced slightly at the volume but I continued and tried looking at where they were all coming from.

"Excuse me!" Marla called out to a businessman who looked pretty panicked. His suit was stained and dirtied, the hem of one of his pant leg was ripped. "Excuse me! Sir!" Marla grabbed his wrist and I watched as he panted and turned wide eyes at me and Marla. "There's no time! You gotta run!" he said hurriedly, looking back continuously at the direction where the crowd was coming from.

"Sir, what's happening?" Marla asked worriedly, eyes shifting between the crowd and the businessman.

"There were soldiers." he gulped then continued, "Soldiers, they were shooting these...monsters! Robots! Giant machines!" A hint of hysteria grew in his eyes and he was shaking, "They were huge! Towering! They...they stepped on Lily! Th-they stepped on my little girl!" He began crying, the sound lost in the midst of all the other chaos. "My sweetie, she was just picking up her doll, then these cars began to change, shapeshift, transform!" He gripped Marla's wrists so hard, she yelped in pain. "They stepped on her, they squished her!" His heartbroken face turned into one filled with hatred, anger, pain and finally, fear. "You need to run. Get out of here!"

That was the last he said as he let go of Marla and ran with the crowd. Marla and I exchanged worried looks and I told her, "Get the customers out. I'll see what's happening."

"But it's not safe!" she exclaimed, rubbing her red wrists. She was as nervous as I was, her eyes continuously shifting to the crowd, to me, and to the direction the crowd was coming from.

I was about to say something else when there was an explosion nearby and the ground shook. Several people fell and tripped, others screamed. "We've got no other way of knowing what's happening unless someone sees it for himself. You want to go?" I retorted, feeling oddly rebellious, unlike my usual obedient, submissive self.

Marla half looked like she wanted to do what I asked and wanted to say no. In the end, she just nodded and ran back inside the cafe.

_"No time to back down now."_

I turned and started walking, keeping away from the main part of the stampede. My heart was starting to speed up in response to my fear and I felt ready to sprint away at a moment's notice. Another explosion, nearer this time, and more people screamed. I started running and felt my breath hitch when I saw a car fly by, smashing into the glass cases of the boutique. The car exploded shortly afterwards, debris and metal flying everywhere.

Faintly, I felt it. The numbing feeling that came and went whenever I knew something was going to happen. It made me feel light and empty, blurring everything else that was happening around me.

_"Is this a dream?"_

Vaguely, I heard the fire crackling in the nearby what-used-to-be a boutique as I looked at the bloody mess in front of me. He looked wealthy, expensive shoes, studded belt. He was sprawled out in front of me, in the middle of all the broken glass. Cuts and bruises, blood and guts. His eyes were glassy, void of life. Blood stained his clothes, dripping onto the sidewalk. Someone tripped over his leg. I think they screamed.

I don't know. I don't know anymore.

_"This isn't a dream anymore."_

I ran.

Past the corpse, past the burning places, past all the wrecked cars and screaming people.

_"What the hell happened here?"_

Through the blurry haze I was in, I heard a voice. It wasn't like all the other voices, this one had a slightly electronic tinge into it. It made the voice seem utterly fascinating. I concentrated on the voice but not on what it was saying.

Later, I regained enough of my traumatized senses to look at where the voice was coming from, and saw the sight that would have made me faint if I wasn't so hyped up on adrenaline. A large robot, all silver and shiny. He seemed humanoid, and he had a band of blue where his eyes would be, if he had eyes. He also had this horn-like things on his head. I was so fascinated that it was too late when I snapped to my senses.

"Run!" he was shouting. At me? "Run! Get out of here!" I realized he was running towards me. Desperation and hopelessness laced his words and I wondered why. "RUN!"

I felt a thud, directly behind me and I turned, only to see something grey and metal coming down at me.

It was too late when I realized that the silver robot told me to run because of this hulking monster who was going to step on me.

I didn't even had time to close my eyes.

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Act 1 - Part 1 - End

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**End of chapter 1! So...how was it? Good? Bad? Please give me some of your thoughts on it, I'd love to hear you opinions! Just...no flames please!**


	3. Act 1 Part 2 - Confusion

**Hello everyone! This is LifelineOver reporting live from Chapter 2 of Repeatedly Redundant!**

**I would just like to say a big fat THANK YOU to those who reviewed and faved and followed, and all those who just plainly appreciated my first story~**

**Anyway, this chapter might cause a bit of confusion...so yeah, it's kinda fitting since the chapter's title is 'Confusion'. Wait, where was I? ...um, so since I won't have anything else to say, please proceed onto reading~**

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, only my OC._

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**_"Don't be afraid to be confused. Try to remain permanently confused. Anything is possible. Stay open, forever, so open it hurts, and then open up some more, until the day you die, world without end, amen."_**

**_―George Saunders, The Braindead Megaphone_**

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_"Hi, my name is Sera Jane Rumil. I'm eighteen years old, lives on my own, and has had the time of my life. I was just working at the coffee shop as a waitress when all these chaos occurs. I go out and see people running, yelling about giant robots. I didn't understand, so I turned, running through the chaos. Gunfire and debris falling from everywhere, now I regret what my curiosity made me do. I turned and look up, seeing the sight of my lifetime, and the last thing I see is that giant metal foot descending on me, then everything was dark."_

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Act 1 - Part 2 - Confusion

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I blinked.

Blank.

I blinked again.

"...haha! That was really funny!..."

"...-ey! Stop that!..."

"...-era? Sera! Heeey?"

I blinked again when I saw a hand waving at me so close to my face. Without thinking, I followed the hand upwards and saw...Marla?

I blinked again. "Marla?"

She raised one eyebrow. "Yeah, that's me."

I blinked again and looked around. I was in the cafe, still leaning my arms on the counter and had placed my right foot behind my left one. _"What the hell just happened?"_

"You alright?" Marla asked, a hint of concern in her voice, putting her hands on her waist and tilting her head at me. Her hair wasn't tied into a bun. And her apron wasn't on yet.

Memories of what had happened were still fresh on my mind but my body felt fine, not numb. The face of the young man lying in the pool of his own blood flashed to the forefront of my mind. _"Was it a dream?"_

I frowned and looked at Marla. "Did I fall asleep or something?"

She copied my frown and crossed her arms, leaning back on her right leg as she shook her head, red curls bouncing. "No. You just sort of went into a daze. Why?" _"What?"_

"What?" I asked out lou, slightly disbelieving.

She uncrossed her arms and twirled her hairstick in her fingers. "You were in a daze, I said. Jeez, got a hearing problem now? I was also asking you if you knew something about that attack on Qatar. The terrorists?"

I felt my frown deepen. _"What is going on? Didn't she ask that already?"_

"No. I don't know anything." was all I said as I tried to understand what was happening. _"But there were gunshots, explosions. People died." _At that thought, I blanched slightly as the image of the young man came again. _"There were these robots..."_

At that moment, I looked outside and saw the same woman who was putting on make-up. I continued watching, knowing, nearly dreading what the woman would do next. _"She puckered her lips at her mirror, flipped her hair over her shoulder, stood up and walked away.",_ said the little voice in my mind. _"Look, she's doing it again."_

I watched intently, waiting. That numbing feeling tingled at the tips of my fingers and at the back of my neck. _"It's happening all over again."_

Like what I had just thought, she finished fixing herself up and flipped her hair over her shoulder. She fixed her things, stood up and started walking away, exactly how I remembered it.

My breath began to pick up slightly and I bit my bottom lip. I stood properly and tried to remember what was going to happen next. _"Gunshots and explosions. The Vanilla Teens were the first to notice. Wait, there was this guy who ran past the cafe; he was screaming."_

"Sera?" I jumped at Marla's worried voice. "Are you okay?"

I looked at her and saw that she had her hair up in her customary bun and was now fixing the ribbon behind her. I gave a shaky nod. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's nothing." _"No, actually I'm not okay. I was supposed to be dead but then I blinked and suddenly, I'm back in time. I don't know what the hell is happening."_ I never said what I had in mind of course, she'd just think I'm crazy. _"Maybe I already am, and all of this was just a dream."_

"You don't look too good. You sure you're alright?" Marla asked, stepping a bit closer.

"Yes, never better." _"Hardly."_

"...-face was all red and she actually looked ready to kill." I tensed as the words escaped the dark-haired one from the Vanilla teens. _"Those were his last words before-"_

I never had time to complete my thought before the man, the same one from before, came around, running past our cafe, screaming his head off.

"What the hell?" said the blonde girl. I remember her words. "Is there some sort of riot that we missed?"

This time I heard it: the gunshots and explosions, just coming from the distance.

"Dude, was that an explosion?" said brunette. _"Again. It's repeating. It's happening again."_

The numbing sensation came again, although not as full force as before. My heart was now pounding and I felt slightly woozy.

_"No, not again. What should I do? I can't do this."_

My breathing picked up as I heard the noise come closer. _"I should do something. I need to do something. I know what's going to happen. I need to save them..." _The image of the corpse appeared again. _"I need to save them..."_

With numb limbs, I stood up and ran outside.

"Sera!" I heard Marla call out but I ignored her. I stepped outside, looking at the direction where I knew the...robots were going to come from.

The crowd was building up and more and more people came running, shouting, screaming at the others to run and get out of the city. I ran against the current, my body not following my brain which was practically screaming to stop and run, to turn around and go someplace safe. But I can't. I needed to save them.

_"I went back in time. I don't know how but I did." _I realized.

And I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing now.

Damn it.

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Act 1 - Part 2 - Confusion - End

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**I feel that I cut the chapter off too early. *shrugs* Anyway, any thoughts? Questions? Feel free to ask!**


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